Focus on deviations between the goals and results, and identify the key factors that led to the results.
A systematic approach to continuous improvement, involving Plan-Do-Check-Act 4 activities.
Turning outcomes into immediate team learning.
Turn vague analysis into clear, decision-ready insights.
Turn raw ideas into market-ready products through a disciplined, four-stage innovation pipeline.
A fast reflection loop that helps you learn from everyday work and improve continuously.
Focus on deviations between the goals and results, and identify the key factors that led to the results.
Most performance reviews stop at the result. Teams often say, "We missed the target, let's try harder next time," or "We hit the target, great job." This kind of reflection is shallow.
Without deep analysis, you cannot replicate success or avoid future failure.
The GRAI Review Framework matters because it forces you to look at the gap between expectations and reality. It provides a structured path to transform raw data into wisdom (DIKW) that guides future strategy.
GRAI is a linear assessment model used to evaluate projects, periods, or performance. The acronym stands for:
Unlike simple status updates, GRAI focuses on the process that led to the outcome. It allows you to identify deviations without assigning blame, making it ideal for objective retrospectives.
The framework consists of four sequential steps:
This refers to the original goal or expectation you set—whether for the year, a specific period, or a project.
It's essential to clearly define the target from the start.
Here, you evaluate how close you came to achieving your goal, whether you exceeded, met, or fell short of the target.
The key is to identify gaps between the goal and result, without assigning blame.
This is where you explore the reasons behind success or failure.
You can analyze from various perspectives like process, people, or techniques (using frameworks like MECE or the Pyramid Principle).
The more perspectives and data you explore, the more likely you are to uncover deeper issues. The insights from this analysis will inform your next steps.
This final stage involves identifying patterns from your analysis.
It’s the most critical part of the GRAI review. Based on your findings, you'll determine what actions to keep (if they contributed to success) and what should be initiated, improved, stopped, or abandoned (if they contributed to failure).